Insights from Macroseismic Data to Characterize Localized Topographic Damage Patterns in Northern Croatia After the 2020 Zagreb and Petrinja Earthquakes

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

The 2020 earthquakes in Croatia caused significant damage, particularly to churches, museums, cultural assets, and older buildings located in areas of pronounced topography in Northern Croatia (intensity VI, EMS). This study aims to derive insights from available macroseismic data on historical and recent seismic events, with the objective of characterising localised topographic damage patterns. Our specific inquiry is whether local ground effects, especially irregular topography, contribute significantly to damage beyond the influence of a building’s inherent structural condition. This research also highlights gaps in empirical evidence, historical data, and methodologies for analysing topographic effects.